The latest news, features and viewpoints from the small business world. If you have a good SME news story, please email us.
In what one tax advisory calls the ‘elephant in the room’, there is a sizeable gap between the interest rate HMRC pays on late payments and the amount of interest it pays out on tax refunds.
The autumn budget was one of the most anticipated in recent memory. Employers National Insurance is set to rise from April 2025, with inreases to CGT (including BADR) and other taxes. Read the key points here.
One of the UK’s most prominent business mentor networks, Virgin StartUp, has welcomed a new batch of high-profile mentors to its community ahead of National Mentoring Day.
Few who decide to become IT contractors live to regret it thanks to the greater financial and personal freedom they enjoy. Is it the life for you?
The biggest motivator for people to go it alone is the desire to be their own boss. We look at why now – in 2024 – is a great time to start a new business.
A new report by Small Business Britain highlights some major obstacles female entrepreneurs face, including access to funding and a lack of financial skills and confidence. The report, Female Entrepreneurship: Moving Forward, delves into the challenges women business owners face and explores ways to enhance entrepreneurial growth and inclusion in the UK. Almost 80% of … Read more
A new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) says that the UK’s small businesses are responsible for the ‘vast majority’ of tax evasion. In fact, of the £5.5bn tax lost due to evasion, an astonishing 81% is said to be caused by small firms. The report – Tackling tax evasion in high street and … Read more
A new study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) reveals a startling difference in pension saving patterns between the self employed and employees.
Even if you’re cynical about the usefulness of business plans, writing one will force you to consider aspects of your business you might have overlooked.
An interesting new study highlights the significant number of self-employed individuals who are over 60. According to the digital community Rest Less, the number of people over 60 who work for themselves reached a record of 991,432 last year. Data extracted from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that the proportion of the UK’s … Read more